Privacy
Medical information of 500,000 Brits touted on Alibaba e-commerce site
Medical data linked to half a million UK volunteers, held by the research charity Biobank, is said to have been leaked and then put up for sale on one of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s websites.
Read more about Medical information of 500,000 Brits touted on Alibaba e-commerce site
Leading universities paid to "spy" on student protestors and guest lecturers
Some of Britain's top universities hired a private intelligence contractor to monitor student protestors and academics using open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques, social media analysis, and large-scale data collection.
Read more about Leading universities paid to "spy" on student protestors and guest lecturers
Game over for compliance delays: Australia demands child safety details from Roblox, Minecraft
Australia's internet regulator on Wednesday asked online gaming platforms including Roblox and Microsoft's Minecraft to spell out how they protect children from grooming by sexual predators and shield young users from radicalisation.
Read more about Game over for compliance delays: Australia demands child safety details from Roblox, Minecraft
“I’m glad it’s not just me:” UK PlayStation gamers swap notes on not being able to verify their ages
Sony’s rollout of mandatory age verification for PlayStation users in the UK has sparked a new round of technical complaints and privacy concerns, with players reporting server errors, failed checks and resistance to handing personal data.
Read more about “I’m glad it’s not just me:” UK PlayStation gamers swap notes on not being able to verify their ages
Italian postal companies fined over €12.5M for scanning users' phones without proper consent
The Italian data protection authority GPDP has fined two postal companies for illegally processing the personal data of millions of users.
Read more about Italian postal companies fined over €12.5M for scanning users' phones without proper consent
Facial recognition is catching twice as many London shoplifters, but privacy activists are worried
The Metropolitan Police has begun testing a new retail crime reporting technology that has proven highly effective. London's new shoplifting tech is working. Privacy advocates say that's exactly the issue.
Read more about Facial recognition is catching twice as many London shoplifters, but privacy activists are worried
UK threatens Telegram with $24.3M fines over child sexual abuse concerns
Britain's communications regulator has launched an investigation into Telegram and two other chat platforms over failures to protect children from sexual abuse and grooming. The companies face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue.
Read more about UK threatens Telegram with $24.3M fines over child sexual abuse concerns
AI firm deletes 3M OKCupid photos after US probe
Artificial intelligence company Clarifai said this month it had deleted 3 million OkCupid user photos and facial-recognition models trained on them after the US Federal Trade Commission settled with the dating site over privacy violations.
Read more about AI firm deletes 3M OKCupid photos after US probe
Behind age gates and VPN bans: Europe’s quiet squeeze on internet freedom
Across Europe, the debate over “internet safety” is quietly morphing into something far more consequential: a structural erosion of online freedom that goes well beyond content moderation.
Read more about Behind age gates and VPN bans: Europe’s quiet squeeze on internet freedom
Security expert demonstrates that VPNs still matter: encrypted DNS and TLS don’t hide browsing history
For years, some experts have claimed that encrypted DNS makes VPNs obsolete and that users no longer need them to stay private online. False. Watch as cybersecurity instructor David Bombal taps into encrypted web traffic and names the exact websites you're connecting to.
Read more about Security expert demonstrates that VPNs still matter: encrypted DNS and TLS don’t hide browsing history
Elon Musk skips French prosecutors' hearing over X child abuse probe as US refuses cooperation
Tech billionaire Elon Musk did not appear Monday at a mandatory summons for questioning in a French probe into X and its AI chatbot Grok, over alleged abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
Read more about Elon Musk skips French prosecutors' hearing over X child abuse probe as US refuses cooperation
EU bets €180M on homegrown cloud providers to break free from American tech dependence
Four European companies will receive €180 million over the next six years to develop European cloud services.
Read more about EU bets €180M on homegrown cloud providers to break free from American tech dependence
Dubai police arrest Emirates flight attendant after stalking his private WhatsApp chat
A flight attendant has been held in Dubai for more than a month after a private WhatsApp image was allegedly detected through active electronic surveillance.
Read more about Dubai police arrest Emirates flight attendant after stalking his private WhatsApp chat
Telegram linked to an “abuse economy” built on the invasion of ordinary women's privacy
An investigation into Telegram communities across Spain and Italy uncovers how men are sharing and profiting from thousands of nonconsensual images of their girlfriends, wives, acquaintances, and former partners.
Read more about Telegram linked to an “abuse economy” built on the invasion of ordinary women's privacy
Reddit summoned to secret grand jury, ordered to unmask anonymous user critical of ICE
The Trump administration has escalated a federal case to identify an anonymous social media poster, ordering Reddit to appear before a grand jury in Washington, DC, after earlier attempts to obtain the user’s identity were blocked in court.
Read more about Reddit summoned to secret grand jury, ordered to unmask anonymous user critical of ICE
Musk, Durov attack WhatsApp over encryption claims
Elon Musk and his fellow billionaire, Telegram owner Pavel Durov, have reacted strongly to a new class action lawsuit claiming that WhatsApp messages are not private.
Read more about Musk, Durov attack WhatsApp over encryption claims
LinkedIn hit with lawsuits over alleged illegal browser extension tracking
LinkedIn has been sued for scanning users’ browsers to determine which extensions they have installed.
Read more about LinkedIn hit with lawsuits over alleged illegal browser extension tracking
European firm endorses Linux, releases free spy-blocking tool to cut reliance on foreign tech
The device is technically yours, but any app vendor can push a silent update and run any code with any privileges at any time. A European company that has exclusively served macOS customers until now has endorsed Linux as a way to reduce reliance on foreign tech and released its software, “LittleSnitch,” for free.
Read more about European firm endorses Linux, releases free spy-blocking tool to cut reliance on foreign tech
Greece bans social media for children under 15, Prime Minister announces it on TikTok
Starting January 1st, 2027, children under the age of 15 are no longer allowed to use social media in Greece.
Read more about Greece bans social media for children under 15, Prime Minister announces it on TikTok
Meta engineer creates shadow program to stalk private feeds, covertly downloads 30,000 images
Rogue Meta worker is investigated by the London Metropolitan police’s cybercrime unit for downloading users’ private Facebook images.
Read more about Meta engineer creates shadow program to stalk private feeds, covertly downloads 30,000 images
